Life Sciences Commons^™

Alaska Reflections, Volume 17, Number 2 - Fall 2005

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Table of Contents:
Reflecting
Outreach News
Dead Thing Duty
It Ain’t Easy
A Slowed Burn
Fish Schticks

Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District Bird List, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The Rainwater Basin of south central Nebraska has attracted millions of migratory birds each spring for generations. During migration, millions of snow geese, Canada geese, white-fronted geese, ducks, and 1/2-million sandhill cranes use the Rainwater Basin and the adjacent Platte River. The shallow wetland basins and surrounding croplands of the area provide the birds with critical resting and feeding sites during their migration north. The Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) of the Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District (WMD) are managed as grassland-playa lake ecosystems. The Rainwater Basin WMO staff currently manages 59 WPAs in the Rainwater Basin. Most of the WPAs …

Whooping Cranes: The Road To Survival

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Whooping cranes are one of the best known of all endangered species and symbolize the struggle to maintain the vanishing creatures of this world. One scientist estimated that only 1400 whoopers survived by 1860. Their population continued to decline due to drainage of wetlands, conversion of grasslands to agriculture, and hunting until only 15 or 16 cranes survived the winter of 1941-42 in Texas. The present world population is about 450 wild and captive whooping cranes (2005). Only one self-sustaining population survives in the wild; these birds spend the winter at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast and …

Th E Conservation Reserve Program And Duck Product Ion In The U.S. Prairie Pothole Region, Ronald Reynolds

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Th e Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America has historically been considered the most important area of the continent for many species of waterfowl, particularly upland nesting ducks (Bellrose 1976). However, during the time since settlement of this area by Europeans, productivity by species such as mallard, gadwall, blue-winged teal, northern shoveler, and northern pintail has apparently declined. Beauchamp and others (1996) reported a system-wide decline in nest success of upland nesting duck species in the PPR between 1935 and 1992. Nest success has been identified as the single most important factor influencing population change of mallards breeding in …

A Survey Of Elemental Contaminants And Organochlorines At North Platte National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska, 1993., Matthew S. Schwarz, Brent J. Esmoil, Timothy E. Fannin

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The North Platte National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) is located 8 miles northeast of Scottsbluff, in Nebraska's Panhandle. It was established by Executive Order in 1916, and was managed by the Bureau of Reclamation (BR) until 1986, when primary jurisdiction was granted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The 2,909 acre Refuge includes three reservoirs: 1) Lake Alice, 2) Winters Creek Lake, and 3) Lake Minitare (Figure 1). Water levels in all three reservoirs are managed by BR for irrigation and Lake Minitare is managed as a State Recreation Area under a lease agreement with the Nebraska Game and …

Risk And Consequence Analysis Focused On Biota Transfers Potentially Associated With Surface Water Diversions Between The Missouri River And Red River Basins, Greg Linder, Ed Little, Bruce Peacock, Heather Goeddeke, Lynne Johnson, Chad Vishy

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Under the auspices of the Dakota Water Resources Act (DWRA) of 2000, the Secretary of the Interior has been directed to conduct a comprehensive study of the water quality and quantity needs of the Red River Valley and the options for meeting those needs. As such, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) requested technical support from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) for an evaluation of the risks and economic consequences of biota transfers potentially associated with interbasin water transfers that might occur between the Upper Missouri River and the Red River of the North (Red River) …

Contaminant Exposure And Reproductive Health Of Sandhill Cranes In The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska., Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick, Karen J. Nelson, Timothy S. Gross

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The central Platte River Valley provides crucial staging habitat for the endangered whooping crane (Grus americana) and the mid-continent population of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis). Platte River flow depletions and the conversion of native wet meadows for agriculture and other purposes has decreased the cranes natural habitat in the central Platte River Valley, and waste corn now makes up most of the cranes diet while they are in the Valley.

The purpose of this research was to measure organochlorine, elemental contaminant, and pesticide exposure to sandhill cranes from the central Platte River Valley, and to evaluate their reproductive condition. Pesticides …

Secondary Lead Poisoning In Golden Eagle And Ferruginous Hawk Chicks Consuming Shot Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming, Robert M. Stephens, Aran S. Johnson, Regan Plumb, Kimberly K. Dickerson, Mark C. Mckinstry, Stanley H. Anderson

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Recreational shooting of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) is a common activity at Thunder Basin National Grassland (TBNG), Wyoming. The prairie dog carcasses left in the area are scavenged by coyotes (Canis latrans), raptors, and other animals. These scavengers are susceptible to lead (Pb) poisoning if they consume Pb bullet fragments or Pb shot when scavenging the shooter-killed prairie dogs. In 2000, a local rehabilitator noted an increase of Pb poisoning cases in raptors (L.Layton, pers. comm. 3/30/01) from the area. We collected several shooter-killed prairie dog carcasses from TBNG for determining if Pb fragments remained …

Efficacy Of Translocations For Restoring Populations Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, Jo Ann L. D. Dullum, Kerry R. Foresman, Marc R. Matchett

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

We evaluated translocation as a method to promote recovery of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) after plague-induced population declines in colonies at the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana. We translocated prairie dogs in June of 1999 and evaluated the effects of translocation on colony area 1 year and 4 years later. We also assessed effects of release group size and estimated rates of population growth and survival. Initial size of experimental colonies was categorized as inactive (0 ha), small (0.1-2.0 ha), or large (2.0-6.6 ha); numbers of prairie dogs translocated to each colony size class were …

Endangered And Threatened Wildlife And Plants; Determination Of Endangered Status For The Salt Creek Tiger Beetle (Cicindela Nevadica Lincolniana)

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine endangered status for the Salt Creek tiger beetle (Cicindela nevadica lincolniana), pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended (Act). This species is endemic to the saline wetlands of eastern Nebraska (NE) and associated streams in the northern third of Lancaster County and southern margin of Saunders County. Only three small populations of this subspecies remain, and the known adult population size in 2005 was only 153 individuals. This final rule extends Federal protection and recovery provisions of the Act to the Salt Creek tiger beetle.